Brees and Saints More than $10 Million Apart

Drew Brees and the Saints are more than $10 million apart on a five-year contract worth about $100 million, according to an AP source.

Brett Martel has been speaking with a "person familiar with the negotiations" who is talking "on condition of anonymity because talks are ongoing."

No surprises here. This is just about what most Saints fans figured. It's not about the total amount of money per year, it's about how much Drew wants guaranteed up front. He's smack dab in the middle of renovating his home for crying out loud and he's got a contractor to pay. Now! And a buncha Jimmy John's to open!

Here are the necessary details:

Both sides have offered proposals that would give the Saints more flexibility under the NFL's salary cap than New Orleans would have if Brees played for the franchise tag the club has placed on him.

In those proposals, a relatively low base salary number in the early years would be offset by guaranteed signing bonuses that are pro-rated, for salary cap purposes, over the life of the contract...

...

If the two sides can narrow their differences on the guarantees, the remaining portions of the contract should be easier to figure out.

The two sides are working from a framework of five years. The difference in the annual average pay is about $1.25 million, with the Saints' last offer at about $19.25 million and Brees' last proposal at about $20.5 million.

However, it is not yet clear how much Brees is willing to come down from a $20.5 million annual figure that some in his camp have argued is low, based on past trends.

Meanwhile, the Breesageddon countdown clock just a-keeps on a-tickin'.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention: the Saints signed Chase Daniel to a one year deal. Y'know...just in case.